Railroad-bond.



PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1903.

H. M. BELLOWS.

RAILROAD BOND.

APPLICATION rum) MAY 18, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented September 1, 1903.

PATENT FFICE,

HORACE M. BELLOYVS, OF HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-BOND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,896, datedSeptember 1, 1903.

Application filed May 18,1908. Serial No. 157,535. (No model.)

To (1. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE M. BELLows, a citizen of the United States,residing at Huntingdon Valley, in the county of Montgomery,

5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements inRailroad-Bonds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a railroad-bond which is formed of a coiledspring of helical or spiral nature, the same occupying sockets in theends of railroad-rails and being adapted to make perfect electricalcontact for conductibility, allow for expansion and contraction of therails and the vertical and lateral motions of the same, and prevent thebond from being stolen or damaged.

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of adjacent railroad-railshaving a bond embodying my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 representsa section on line a a', Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents an end view of amodification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates adj a cent portions ofrailroad-rails in the ends of the heads of which are the openingsorsockets C designates a coiled spring of helical or spiral form ornature, the same occupying said sockets, the end convolutions of thespringbein g flattened or made right-lined and resting snugly againstthe inner terminals. of said sockets, so as to assure the fullestcontact of the spring with said terminals. The spring is formed ofcopper or other suitable conductive material and is compressed whenplaced in position while laying the rails, it being seen that the springpreserves the continuity of the rails, and so forms an effective andreliable electrical bond for the same.

It is apparent that during the expansion and contraction of the railsthe spring conforms to the same, and so maintains its electrical contactwith the inner terminals of the sockets B, and consequently with therails, while the latter may raise and lower or move sidewise withoutaffecting the service of the bond. Furthermore, the spring issufficiently inclosed in the sockets so as to be in a meas ureconcealed, and thus it is protected against improper removal or theft orfrom being damaged while a track is being repaired. If desired, socketsE maybe formed in the bases or other parts of the rails to receive thespring or a plurality of bonds may be employed,-in which case they maybe applied in sockets in both the heads and bases of the rails, as inFig. 3, or any other parts of the rails.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the general spirit of my invention, and I do not,therefore, desire to be limited in each case to the same.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is'

1. An electric connection comprising rails having coacting recesses intheir adjacent ends and a longitudinally-expansible spring movable insaid recesses and abutting against the ends thereof.

2. A11 electric connection comprising rails having coacting recesses intheir adjacent ends and a compressed coiled spring movable in saidrecesses and abutting against the ends thereof.

A11 electric connection. comprising rails, having coacting recesses intheir adjacent ends and a compressed coiled spring having its endsflattened, movable in said recesses and abutting against the endsthereof.

HORACE M. BELLOVVS.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERsI-IEIM, S. R. CARR.

